Charles Gittens, 1st Black Secret Service Agent, Dies at Age 82

Charles L. Gittens, first black Secret Service agent, died July 27, at age 82.

Charles L. Gittens (Creative Commons)

Charles L. Gittens, the nation's first black Secret Service agent, has died at age 82. Gittens, who died on July 27 in Maryland, joined the Secret Service in 1956 and was assigned to the Charlotte, North Carolina, office. He also worked in the New York City office, where he investigated counterfeiting and bank fraud. Gittens was also fluent in Spanish and worked in the San San Juan bureau in Puerto Rico. He was assigned to the Washington D.C. office in 1969. Mr. Gittens retired in 1979 and then worked for the Department of Justice, where he investigated war criminals who were living in the U.S.